Course Syllabus

BPS6310-OG1
School of Management
The University of Texas at Dallas

| Course Info | Technical Requirements | Course Access & Navigation | Communications | Assessments | Academic Calendar |
Scholastic Honesty | Course Evaluation | UTD Policies |

Course Information

Course

Course Number/Section BPS6310-OG1

Course Title Strategic Management
Term and Dates 8/20/09-12/10-09

Professor Contact Information

Professor Marilyn Kaplan
Office Phone 972-883-2742
Email Address mkaplan@utdallas.edu
Office Location SOM4.216
Other Information Please email through eLearning for quickest response

About the Instructor

Dr. Kaplan also teaches Regulation of Business in the GMBA program and the Strategic Management in the classroom. Her
research interests include the effects of regulations on strategic decisions in industries such as the insurance industry. She is the
Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the School of Management, and a Past President of the Western Academy of Legal
Studies in Business.

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 Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions
AIM6201; AIM6202; FIN6301; MKT6301; OB6301

Course Description

The strategic management course is a capstone class, integrating the knowledge you have gathered in your coursework including
accounting, finance, marketing, MIS, and organizational behavior. We will be studying the creation of a strategic plan; analyzing the
firm’s environment, structure, culture, and leadership through case analyses and a computer simulation.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, the student will:
1. Communicate a firm’s strategic vision by creating a clear and comprehensive mission statement.
2. Complete an analysis of the external environment of a firm.
3. Determine the resources and capabilities of a firm.
4. Integrate skills acquired in finance, accounting, marketing, and MIS courses to create a successful generic strategy.
5. Identify the strategic fit of the firm in its industry.
6. Explain the importance of culture and leadership on strategic implementation.
7. Determine ethical strategic alternatives.

Required Textbooks and Materials

Required Texts
Two texts are required:
1. E-text or custom paperback Thompson et al: Crafting & Executing Strategy The e-book is considerably cheaper). The
custom text price ($67.88) includes the registration fee & code for the Business Strategy Game. If you purchase an edition
other than the custom text, you will have to pay the BSG fee online separately.

Go to http://ebooks.primisonline.com/eBookstore/index.jsp Click on custom books. Click through to UT Dallas, Strategic

Management – you will see 2 books listed – click on ”full text”
You may purchase the book in hard copy, however, you will be paying a premium.

Required Materials

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 2. Business Strategy Game: www.bsg-online.com

Suggested Course Materials

Suggested Readings/Texts
Business Week, Fortune, Wall Street Journal

Suggested Materials
None

Textbooks and some other bookstore materials can be ordered online through Off-Campus Books or the MBS Direct Virtual
Bookstore online ordering site. They are also available in stock at the UTD Bookstore and Off-Campus Books.

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Technical Requirements

In addition to a confident level of computer and Internet literacy, certain minimum technical requirements must be met to enable a
successful learning experience. Please review the important technical requirements and the web browser configuration information.

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Course Access and Navigation

This course was developed using a web course tool called eLearning. It is to be delivered entirely online. Students will use their
UTD NetID account to login to the course through UTD Galaxy: http://galaxy.utdallas.edu or directly at http://elearning.utdallas.edu .
Please see more details on course access and navigation information.

To get started with an eLearning course, please see the Getting Started: Student eLearning Orientation.

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 UTD provides eLearning technical support 24 hours a day/7 days a week. The services include a toll free telephone number for
immediate assistance (1-866-588-3192), email request service, and an online chat service. The UTD user community can also
access the support resources such as self-help resources and a Knowledge Base. Please use this link to access the UTD
eLearning Support Center: http://www.utdallas.edu/elearninghelp.

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Communications

This eLearning course has built-in communication tools which will be used for interaction and communication. Some external
communication tools such as regular email and a web conferencing tool may also be used during the semester. For more details,
please see communication tool information.

Another communication tool available to students is live voice chat in the 3D virtual world of Second Life. Instructions for accessing
the UTD SOM Island in Second Life can be found at http://som.utdallas.edu/somResources/eLearning/faculty/secondLife.php.

Interaction with Instructor: The instructor will communicate with students mainly using the Announcements and Discussions tools.
Students may send personal concerns or questions to the instructor using the course email tool. The instructor will reply to student
emails or Discussion board messages within 3 working days under normal circumstances.
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Student Resources

The following university resources are available to students:

UTD Distance Learning: http://www.utdallas.edu/oee/distance/students/cstudents.htm

McDermott Library: Distance Learners (UTD students who live outside the boundaries of Collin, Dallas, Denton, Rockwall, or
Tarrant counties) will need a UTD-ID number to access all of the library’s electronic resources (reserves, journal articles, ebooks,
interlibrary loan) from off campus. For UTD students living within those counties who are taking online courses, a Comet Card is
required to check out materials at the McDermott Library. For more information on library resources go to
http://www.utdallas.edu/library/distlearn/disted.htm.

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 Student Assessments
Grading Information

Weights

Business Strategy Game 30 %

Individual Written 50 %
Assignments
Blog 20 %
Total 100%

Grading criteria

A+: 97 and up A: 94-96 A-: 90-93

B+: 87-89 B: 84-86 B-: 80-83
C+: 77-79 C: 70-76
F Below 70%

Grading Policy

Group grades are subject to peer evaluations.

Accessing Grades

Students can check their grades by clicking “My Grades” under Course Tools after the grade for each assessment task is released.

Course Policies

Make-up exams
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 None

Extra Credit
None

Late Work
Not accepted. Please sync your clock with eLearning as assignment deadlines are set in stone.

Special Assignments

Class Participation
Students are required to login regularly to the online class site. The instructor will use the tracking feature in eLearning to monitor
student activity. Students are also required to participate in all class activities such as discussion board activities, chat or
conference sessions and group projects. It is highly recommended that you utilize the group discussion board for the BSG project.

Virtual Classroom Citizenship

The same guidelines that apply to traditional classes should be observed in the virtual classroom environment. Please use proper
netiquette when interacting with class members and the professor.

Policy on Server Unavailability or Other Technical Difficulties

The university is committed to providing a reliable online course system to all users. However, in the event of any unexpected
server outage or any unusual technical difficulty which prevents students from completing a time sensitive assessment activity, the
instructor will extend the time windows and provide an appropriate accommodation based on the situation. Students should report
any problems to the instructor and also email som-elearning@utdallas.edu. The instructor and the SOM eLearning Team will
respond to student requests at the earliest possible time during the next working day.

Assignments

Individual Written Assignments

Over the weeks of the course, you will complete 3 written assignments. You will write a 3-5 page (text) paper that is assigned for the
module– add pages for supporting tables, graphs, etc. You will be researching a firm or firms for each assignment. Again, this means
utilizing the library databases not Google! Assignments referencing Wikipedia will receive an automatic zero grade. Your paper will
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likely include diagrams and data in appendices. These papers will be graded on a scale of 1-10. You must support your opinions
with theory and facts. Papers that are mere opinion will receive failing grades! Please note that the deadline for uploading
papers is strict - late papers cannot be accepted!

Module 2: Financial Analysis/Value Chain/Competitive Analysis Paper – 20%

Part 1: The assignment begins with financial analysis of JC Penney. Complete year over year comparisons (most current year & prior
year) for JC Penney for Income Statement, Balance Sheet, & Financial Ratios. Complete Common Size Income Statements &
Balance Sheets for JC Penney AND their closest competitor (be sure to explain the reasoning behind your choice of competitor).
(find data through the UTD library – Mergent Database - be sure to complete the library tutorial).
Part 2: Complete a value chain analysis of the firm based on your financial analysis.
Part 3: Identify and evaluate the firm’s competitive advantage based on your findings in parts 2 & 3.
This assignment will help you with the Business Strategy Game assignment.

Module 3: 5 Forces Paper – 15%

Perform a 5 forces analysis on the textiles industry. Be sure to use the Business and Company Resource Center database as your
first research resource. Look up the textile industry. Define the SIC code you are using in your discussion.

Module 5: Problems & Recommendations Paper – 15%

I will provide an article from Business Week about a particular firm – you will identify the problems the firm is experiencing and
provide your recommended solutions.

Blog

Each module (for a minimum of 6 postings during the semester for a grade of C) you are to add comments to your personal, private
blog, a discussion board that will be set up just for you. You will reference the assigned readings and any posted discussion
questions. Your comments should include, but should not be limited to, your interpretation of the readings, application of the topic to
your experiences, and relevant items in the current news. There is no weekly time limitation or cut-off deadline on discussion board
postings - hopefully you will consider all of the topics throughout the semester and will find that a newspaper story or event at work
stimulates a contribution to the discussion – but you must post a minimum of once per week. Your blog will be judged on the value of

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your contributions. In other words, content counts, not quantity. Please do not post attachments. This blog should be free-form,
stream of consciousness, informal. I do not expect perfect grammar in the blog, but I do expect your own thoughts.

Participation

In addition, there will be open discussion boards for the use of the entire class. If you post something relevant to the rest of the class,
I will ask your permission to copy it to the class-wide discussion board. There is a discussion board for each topic. Assume that this
tool will take the place of in-class discussions, but the discussions will be held over an extended time period. Feel free to comment
on the contributions of your fellow students, and to start a new thread.

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 Group Projects

Business Strategy Game

Game performance 10%

Report 20%

The Business Strategy Game is an online simulation of the international athletic footwear industry. Each group will be a firm
competing with the other groups’ firms in that industry.
Your decisions will include:
• where to produce and sell
• whether or not to sell online
• whether to produce private label brands
• employee compensation
• shipping
• pricing
• marketing, including celebrity endorsements
• financing.

Each group will choose a generic strategy for your firm based on your mission statement and proceed with your decisions. We will
begin with practice rounds (that do not count toward your grade) and continue by restarting the game for 8 rounds. Once the final
results are in, When each simulation ends, each firm will prepare a report (to be approximately 3 double-spaced, typed pages of text
PLUS tables) that outlines actions taken throughout the 4 rounds of the simulation.
The report should include at a minimum:
1. What was your generic strategy?
2. A competitive analysis – what generic strategies did the competing firms follow?
3. A financial analysis of your firm including benchmarking ( Like the JC Penney assignment)
4. Evaluation of the firm’s successes and failures. What decisions were correct? What should have been done differently?

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 Group Formation

I will use a group sign-up sheet to form groups for group assignments or projects. Please try to work with people you already know!
Maximum group size is 3 – I have had free rider problems with larger groups. By the way, that means you can work alone or as a
pair – many students find this preferable, though the work load is heavier, you do not have to rely on students you do not know. A
private discussion area will be set up on the discussion board for internal group communications. A group chat room can also be
created for each group to use. A web conference system is available for use. Teams can schedule a live web conference for team
work. Please see communication tool information for instructions on making a reservation and other web conference information.
Meeting spaces have also been set up on the UTD SOM Island in the virtual world of Second Life. Instructions for accessing the
island can be found at http://som.utdallas.edu/somResources/eLearning/faculty/secondLife.php.

Assignment submission instructions

You will submit your assignments (in the required file format with a simple file name and a file extension) by using the Assignments
tool on the course site. Please see the Assignments link on the course menu or see the icon on the designated page. You can click
each assignment name link and follow the on-screen instructions to upload and submit your file(s). Please refer to the Help menu
for more information on using this tool. Please note: each assignment link will be deactivated after the assignment due time. After
your submission is graded, you may click each assignment’s “Graded” tab to check the results and feedback.

For the team project assignment, one group member will submit the assignment for the group and all group members will be able to
view the results and feedback once it’s been graded.

Participation/Discussions

Participation

In addition, there will be open discussion boards for the use of the entire class. If you post something relevant to the rest of the class,
I will ask your permission to copy it to the class-wide discussion board. There is a discussion board for each topic. Assume that this
tool will take the place of in-class discussions, but the discussions will be held over an extended time period. Feel free to comment
on the contributions of your fellow students, and to start a new thread.

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 Online Tests/Quizzes

There are 2 categories of quizzes – those at the end of each module and self-quizzes. You must pass each end of module quiz to
move forward to the next module. The self-quizzes are for your personal use.
You can access quizzes/exams by clicking the Assessments link on the course menu or see the quiz/exam icon on the designated
page. Each quiz is timed and can be accessed only one time within the scheduled time window. Please read the on-screen
instructions carefully before you click “Begin Assessment”. After each quiz is graded and released, you may go back to the
Assessments page and click “View All Submissions” to review your exam results.

Final Examination

None

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 Academic Calendar

Module Title Units Book Reading from Text BSG Quiz Individual
Chapter Assignment Assignment
Module 0 1. Syllabus Lecture Chapter BSG Chapter 1 Complete Library
Start Here 2. BSG Lecture 1 registration to release Tutorial
8/20-9/2 3. Generic Strategies Group course
Intro Lecture Formation

Module 1 4. Mission & Vision Chapter 1. Markides Practice Self quiz

Mission and Lecture 2 2. Kanter Rounds 1 & chapter 2
Vision 2
9/3-9/16
Module 2 5. Resources & Core Chapter 1. Miller, Eisenstat Rounds 1 & Self Quiz Financial
Internal Capabilities Lecture 4 & Foote 2 Chapter 4 Analysis/Value
Analysis 2. Ridderstrale Chain/Competitive
9/17-9/30 Analysis Assignment
Due 9/30
Module 3 6. Stakeholder Lecture Chapter 1. Johnson Rounds 3 & Self Quiz 5 Forces Analysis
External 10 2. Smith 4 Chapter10 Assignment
Environment 7. External Environment 10/21
10/1-10/21 Lecture Chapter
3 Self Quiz
8. 5 Forces Lecture Chapter 3
Module 4 9. Generic Strategies Chapter Rounds 5 & Self Quiz
Competitive Detail Lecture 5 6 Chapter 5
Strategy
10/22-11-4
Module 5 10. Industry Analysis Chapter Rounds 7 & Self Quiz Problems &
Strategic Fit Lecture 8 8 Chapter 8 Recommendations
11/5-11/18 Paper Due
11. Diversification Lecture 11/18
Chapter 1. D’Aveni Self Quiz
9 2. Wakeam Chapter 9

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 12. Alternative Strategies 3. Zook & Allen
Lecture
Chapter 1. Barthelemy Self Quiz
6 2. Gupta & Chapter 6
Chapter Gonidarijan &7
7

Module 6 13. Structure & Culture Chapter Chapman & Cha Final report Self Quiz
Execution Lecture 11 Due 12/10 Chapters
11/19-12/10 Chapter 11, 12, &
12 13
Chapter
13

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Course Syllabus Page 14
 Scholastic Honesty

The University has policies and discipline procedures regarding scholastic dishonesty.
Detailed information is available on the UTD Judicial Affairs web page. All students are
expected to maintain a high level of responsibility with respect to academic honesty. Students
who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties,
including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. Since
such dishonesty harms the individual, all students and the integrity of the University, policies
on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced. All assignments are subject to plagiarism
examination through www.turnitin.com.

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Course Evaluation

As required by UTD academic regulations, every student must complete an evaluation for
each enrolled course at the end of the semester. An online instructional assessment form will
be made available for your confidential use. Please look for the course evaluation link on the
course Homepage towards the end of the course.

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University Policies

Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and
regulations for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of
each student and each student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and
regulations which govern student conduct and activities. General information on student
conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to
all registered students each academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of
recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules
and Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI,
Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the university’s
Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to
students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist
students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of
citizenship. He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the
Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to
discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off
campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

Academic Integrity

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 The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty.
Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work
done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high
standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to
applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work
or material that is not one’s own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the
following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students
suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any
other source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism
(see general catalog for details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which
searches the web for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.

Email Use

The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication
between faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises
some issues concerning security and the identity of each individual in an email exchange.
The university encourages all official student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s
U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official only if
it originates from a UTD student account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree
of confidence in the identity of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted
information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be used in all
communication with university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T.
Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other
accounts.

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level
courses. These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog.
Administration procedures must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle
withdrawal requirements from any class. In other words, I cannot drop or withdraw any
student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of
"F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and
Activities, of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other

fulfillments of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious
effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or committee with
whom the grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”). Individual faculty members
retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot be
resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the respondent with a
copy of the respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written response

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 provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If
the grievance is not resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written
appeal to the Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and
convene an Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final.
The results of the academic appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of
Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and
regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed
at the semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete
grade must be resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long
semester. If the required work to complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is
not submitted by the specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a
grade of F.

Disability Services

The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities
equal to those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the
Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and
Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable
adjustments necessary to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it
may be necessary to remove classroom prohibitions against tape recorders or animals (in the
case of dog guides) for students who are blind. Occasionally an assignment requirement may
be substituted (for example, a research paper versus an oral presentation for a student who is
hearing impaired). Classes enrolled students with mobility impairments may have to be
rescheduled in accessible facilities. The college or university may need to provide special
services such as registration, note-taking, or mobility assistance.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an
accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty
members to verify that the student has a disability and needs accommodations. Individuals
requiring special accommodation should contact the professor after class or during office
hours.

Religious Holy Days

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 The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities
for the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship
are exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible
regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused,
will be allowed to take the exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the
absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A
student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be
penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or assignment within the
prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of
observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student
has been given a reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations,
either the student or the instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the
institution, or his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into
account the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the
decision of the chief executive officer or designee.

Off-Campus Instruction and Course Activities

Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law and
University policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related activities. Information
regarding these rules and regulations may be found at the website address given below.
Additional information is available from the office of the school dean.
(http://www.utdallas.edu/BusinessAffairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm)

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the
Professor.

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